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The night of the never-ending address updates...

11PM

"Mom, you sent me two addresses for your friend Ruth. Which one is right? Ok, and you're sure? Thanks, goodnight."

11:15PM

"Sorry to call you again so late, but just out of curiosity, I googled that address...if Google doesn't recognize it, does it still exist? Ok, Mom, ok, I trust you. Goodnight again."

-------------------

Today, 5PM

"Hey Mom, guess whose save the date was returned to me today?"

Mom: "Hmm, well I guess I'll double-check with her..."

Oh, Mom...that fail was worth more than just 44 cents...

On giving thanks

If you were wondering if I cried through the "what you're thankful for" portion of Thanksgiving dinner, your answer is yes. For the second year in a row. At J's folks' dinner table.

I truly think it's one of the best traditions there is, one that my family never adopted. Last year I was so nervous as it got closer to my turn. Partly because I get nervous speaking in crowds larger than 3. But also due to J's parents' home renovations and the fact that the cold temps in the house made cooking longer than normal and we didn't sit down to dinner until 9pm...even though wine had been flowing since 11am. So as soon as J's aunt Bryn starts to say what she was thankful for, she started to tear up, and then we locked eyes and shared a small sob. Because we're saps. I ended up botching my somewhat prepared statement about being so thankful to be accepted into such a wonderful loving family, and it ended up coming out like, "I'm thankful for this table!" Seriously. And J went on to profess how he was thankful that we'd started to build a wonderful life together and we don't need anything else since we have each other. But his girlfriend was thankful for the table!

This year I was determined to ace it. I mean, it's been a great year! I'm engaged! My mom was sitting there with me! I replaced my job (sort of)! We have an amazing place to live and don't have to move anytime soon! I've got a (future) niece who is amazing and wonderful and asks for me by name! And wouldn't you know, Aunt Bryn starts sharing her thanks for her family and its new members, and she named the babies that were born this year. And then she says my name. And I looked over at her and we both started crying. Again. Flash forward through the next 15 family members (including Grandaddy who was thankful for all of God's creatures, big and small...so sweet!) and then it was my turn. I know I managed to say I was thankful my mom was able to come out and visit and I was even more thankful for the reason she was visiting -- "Wedding dress shopping!" Yes, that's what came out of my mouth. What I intended on saying was how thankful I am to be planning a marriage to my best friend, the most amazing person I've ever known. Tables and wedding dress shopping, that's what I'm thankful for! Sigh...

Luckily, I'd managed to give my mom about two minutes' prior notice so she aced her profession of thankfulness. And of course so did J, who made me cry even harder. And Miss Berkley, 20-month-old leap day baby extraordinaire, what was she thankful for? "BOATS!" I kid you not. She apparently also prays for them at night. Smart girl.

Thanks, Mom

On a recent walk with the dogs, I realized I needed to call my mom and thank her for being so wise. Although I hated the rule as a child, she was right for not letting me play in piles of leaves.

Dogs do pee on them. On every single pile that they pass, as a matter of fact.

Here and there

- Yesterday Mary tripped whilst jumping out of an ivy bed. And skinned her chin on the pavement. And it started bleeding. And J started feeling his first paternal instincts kick in. She's ok, i just can't get over how strange it is that our dog face-planted on the sidewalk.

- When I was getting ready to blow dry my hair yesterday morning, I somehow managed to gouge a strip of skin out of my forehead with my thumbnail. Quite possibly the most randomly attained self-inflicted injury of my life. It looks like I accidently drew on myself with a red pen. Great.

- My car is going to be ready: apparently never. I get daily email updates from the "collision specialist" and I think they're trying to figure out how many times they can tell me the vapor canister doesn't fit before I freak out.

- After finally deciding what to take to Thanksgiving next week at J's folks' house, I did a test run last night of Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes. I don't even like pumpkin desserts, and holy crap these are amazing. And beautiful! I did follow reviews and omit the crazy frosting recipe and used a simpler cream cheese frosting. I'm taking a bunch of them in to work today to disperse of them, which means I'm going to have to actually speak to people today. And you know how I hate that.

- My mother gets here in 5 days! We have appts at bridal boutiques and meetings with caterer to look forward to! While I am upset my dad isn't coming this time, I'm excited because it means we can just sit around and talk and do the down-time things we gals like to do together.

- My back is getting itchy from my sunburn. Yes, we made it to Florida last week. I haven't quite figured out what to say about our whirlwind trip other than: I have the coolest in-laws in the world and I love Ft. Myers Beach.

- It did become apparent to us though that after more than 2 years together, our dogs don't like to be apart. They may not play together or really pay any attention to each other, but both of them had some issues with not eating and umm, other stuff, while we were away. From now on we're going to use an in-home pet service so we don't have to split up these two knuckleheads. Jamie, interested in some travel? :)

The light at the end of the tunnel

My parents are coming to visit!  In my four years here, they've never made a trip at the same time; my mom comes every year for her spring break, my dad comes down when he's out here for work.  I'm soooo excited and it's actually just a few weeks away!  By then I'll be done with my work madness so I'll be taking those days off.  J's excited to take my dad to work with him.  I'm excited to show them the new pad.  And of course, there will also be a wonderful meeting with J's parents...that's what I'm most excited for.  Oh, and they'll get to see their grand-dog.

I can't wait!  I officially have something to look forward to!

The Pros and Cons of Working Late

So we've stepped right into busy season at work and I'll be working extended hours as well as mandatory Saturdays for the foreseeable future.  Possible Sundays.  I can honestly tell you the first thought that ran through my head was, "Is it too late to get a weekend job so I can tell them I have to work?" followed by a close second, "What if I taught Sunday School?" tailed by a reluctant, "Yes, I'll be here..."

In preparation of my new lifestyle, I'm tallying up some good old pros and cons:

Pro: 

1. They feed me a delicious lunch every day.  So I'm saving money by not having to pay for my own lunches, and if I can continue to order a salad then I'm being healthy.

2. The workday flies by so fast that it actually feels shorter than when I work 7:30 to 4.

3. The delirium sets in at 4 and the rest of the day is spent in a daze.

Con:

1.  I am home for like 3 hours and then I've got to go to bed.

2.  My laundry is piling up.

3.  Poor J is picking up my slack with household duties.  I tease him sometimes that he's the best housewife ever.  I'm realizing now that he's actually THE best.  He cooks, he cleans, he tends to the pooches, coordinates necessary evils like visits from the Terminex man, the cable guy, today's window installation.

4.  I feel like time is flying by.  These are precious months to me and I feel out of control and like I'll wake up tomorrow and it'll be the day before Lauren's wedding.

5.  I'm turning into a whiney baby.  Reference how long my cons list is growing.

In non-work news, my mother's dearest friend Betty Nell passed away earlier this week.  It's been a sad time at the Nickels house and I wish I could be there for my Mom and Dad.  She's been sick for quite some time and she was "ready" as I guess you could say.  When I visited her while I was home, I was shocked at how much she'd changed since I saw her when I was at home this summer.  She's seriously in a much better place now, and there's never been a time I thought I'd say those words and mean them.  The only things that's comforted me about my parents' grief is the day before she slipped into a coma-like sleep, my parents went over to her house and made a big waffle breakfast for her and every one of the gang that was taking part in caring for Betty Nell.  I know they'll be able to cherish that memory forever.  I need to stop whining now and get myself to work.

Home Sweet Home

So after packing up everything we own, a couch being broken (and later replaced) by the movers as it was hoisted up over our balcony, all but one of our fish passed away (bless their hearts), and a few other heart-clenchers of this past week, J and I made it into our new home. So far so good. We love it. We're pretty sure it loves us, too, because it's cuter than ever. The dogs are happy (albeit Leo is still getting used to things. Translation: he barks at things) and they love the balcony, as do we. We worked our tails off this past week trying to get as much nesting in as possible.

Have to admit, it was hard to get myself up at 4AM yesterday for a week away from everything that's consumed my thoughts for the past month or so. I only had to endure a delayed flight from Detroit to Minneapolis which consequently made me miss my Minneapolis to KC flight, which landed me in the Breadbasket at 5pm vice noon thirty. But I was unscathed and luckily, taught well by my father, with luggage in hand since you'd be hard-pressed to catch me checking luggage. Even for a week's stay.

My parents picked me up swiftly, since they had an inkling I might go into shock since it was a crisp 7 degrees here, a sharp contrast from Virginia's 63. Whoa. But they brought me home, fed me, gave me wine, I romped about with Ruby (romp is a funny word, perhaps trampled-on is better--this is the biggest golden I've ever seen!), and watched some hi-def "Cold Case" by the fire with my mom and dad. Bliss. This is what it's like being home for me. Relaxation at its best. Snuggled up inside a warm house, resting above a snow-covered field (J, the back 40 is breath-taking), with my blanket-brandishing father always ready to cover me up, knowing I'm never too far from a nap.

My mother just ran over to Betty Nell's house to take her trash out for trash day tomorrow. The fact that my mother is basically a care-giver to her sickly little old widow friend amazes me every day. My mom is such an amazing woman who gets far too little credit for her enormous heart. We're running around today to help finish her Christmas shopping, and then later my sis and my g-ma are coming over for dinner.

I'll get to see my girls later this week/weekend, but for now, it's about spending time with my family. People who I didn't get to spend much quality time with over my summer trip. Sitting around, possibly playing a game of Mexican Train Dominoes, catching up, and reminiscing. As Ruby snoozes at my feet, I think I can hear my mom pulling into the garage. Off we go.

T minus 70 minutes

We are going to meet our new "Land-chick" at 5:00 to exchange rent checks for keys.  I cannot verbalize how excited I am.

Also exciting happenings of the last 24 hours:

-Joanna (rockstar) found us an awesome house in Napa for Lauren's bachelorette weekend in May.  The excitement continues! :)

-We met our first neighbors last night.  Very nice, they're letting us use the driveway for the big move.

-Had an interesting conversation with J about a certain sparkly something he put in his new safety deposit box at the bank.  A certain something that was hidden in the apartment for 3 months.  A certain something that he showed to Leo, and apparently licked it.  I can't believe a boy who can't keep secrets from me kept this amazing secret.  BUT--then he spilled the beans.

-My mother decided to be amazing and sent us a happy moving gift.  A HUGE box of barbeque from Jack Stack in Kansas City.  That's where the 'rents took us when we were in town this summer and we loved it.  We will have all meals planned for us this weekend which was a huge help, and also delicious.  Plus it came packed in dry ice which was pretty amazing.  Just like the Thriller video.

-J took the babies to the dog-spa today to get their nails professionally trimmed down in honor of our wood floors.  He then brought them home and Pedi-Paw'd them by himself.  The dogs have lost their battle against the Pedi-Paw.  We win.

I'm getting ready to unplug my computer now.  Which means silence until further notice.  Wishing my people an amazing weekend!  

Things that annoyed me/made me happy today

Annoyed me:
1. The woman who sits in a cube adjacent to mine must be under some sort of contract that anytime a person opens a can of soda, she must shout, "That didn't sound refreshing enough to be a beer." I kind of chuckled the first time, because sure, it's funny. Once.

2. The heat. There's a heat index of 101 today. Plus smoke from the wildfires (side note: there was an article in the paper the other day talking about how long the smoke will linger in the area. They referenced a wildfire back in the 20s that burned for 3 years. Umm, at the 4 month marker I think I'll be packing my bags, thank you!). Hot hot heat + smoky smoky air = not a favorable condition for an asthmatic. At least 3 times this week I've woken up unable to breathe. Joy!

3. Work. Period.

4. Bugs and bug bites.

5. J's employers. Seriously people.


Made me happy:
1. Leo. He might be the cutest dog ever. Just the action of him walking up next to me, sitting down, and then grunting like a little piglet is enough to make me smile. And then smoosh his chest cowlick down. It's a compulsion.

2. Friday. Not so I can go out and party like a 25 year old, but so I can stay home and catch up on rest. Borrrrring.

3. TJ Maxx. After seeing the most adorable dress on Alexe's blog, she told me where I could find it, and whammo, I found 3 super cute (read: cheap!) dresses, and I couldn't resist. I wore one to work today and it really did make the day a little better. Thanks, fashion director!

4. My Nintendo. I'm not going to go on and on about it, but let's just say I'm on a new diet. It's called "The play so much Nintendo that you forget to eat diet." I'm doing very well on it. :)

5. J loves Chambord. He loves the taste and the quaint little bottle. He held it up and said, "In our new apartment, I want to put a fish in this and use it as a fishbowl." I won't let him do that of course, but I loved hearing the phrase, "In our new apartment..." come out of his mouth.

6. My mother. Since she's out of school for the summer (cue: schoooool's out.for.summa!) we talk a lot more, either email or phone. She's quite a lady and I'm so honored to be her friend, let alone offspring. She also mailed me the welcome boxes she made for J and I for our visit and I got the package today. When they were dropping us off at the airport, J said, "Oh, I didn't get anything for my mom. I probably should have." So my mother included a little gift for his mama and his daddy. She also tucked in an "80s bracelet" from her closet. Yeah, mom, "80s bracelet" is code for: awesome bangle my mother's been hiding from me all these years.

Jog-a-dog

During out ritual Sunday night chat, my mother told me she and my dad got a treadmill. For their dog. And apparently Ruby loves running on it. I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

Chicken soup for Stacy's soul

Yesterday marked the one-week mark of Justin's cold, and the 2-day mark of my own. That's right, for a whole week I kept the sniffles at bay, but they've since descended on me. We were supposed to go to a birthday dinner on Saturday but there was no way that was happening, so we did what we do best; retreat into hermitville. After renting a movie, we made a comfort food feast that would delight any 80 year old: brussel sprouts and chicken soup. It's my mom's chicken soup recipe that we used to make together before I moved out here, and shouldn't everyone have one of those in their arsenol? If you don't, I'll my mom's with you.

Christmas Confetti Chicken Soup
2 c. cooked chicken
6 c. chicken broth
1 package of frozen spinach (thawed/drained/chopped)
1/2 red pepper finely chopped
1/4 onion finely chopped
1/2 t. nutmeg
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1/2 c. fat free half and half (optional)
(I cook the chopped chicken in the soup pot and then remove and set to the side). Saute red pepper, onion in butter until soft. Add flour, stir, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and let come to a boil and reduce down for about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, nutmeg, and chicken. If you want, stir in the half and half at the end. The end result is a lovely pot of greens and reds, hence the name.

It's really good, and easy to make, and it makes enough to feed a small army of sick people. I came home today at noon, ate some soup, drank some theraflu, slipped on my eyemask and fell asleep until 6. Delicious!

What's for dinner?

I've always loved to cook. I like to blame it on my mother's lack of culinary expression as I grew up. I can remember most of my childhood nights eating odd concoctions, usually hamburger meat and a weird combo of gravy mix, tomato sauce, and corn. And now that I'm older, I know that my mom was just a busy lady, with two kids, a job, and a husband with very odd habit of pouring ketchup on just about anything. What's the point in slaving over a delicious curry if he's just going to pour red goop on it? I get it now, Mom.

But even as a kid, I was so inspired that I used to write my own recipes and give them to my mom. If I was feeling extra excited about my new creation, I'd even provide an accompanying illustration, like, "Here, mom, because I wasn't sure you knew how to read, so I drew this picture of a taco sandwich for you." [Note, my mom kept that recipe, because what better way to make your child feel foolish than to wait 20 years and then show them a barely-legible scribbling they made about putting a taco between two piece of bread, and apparently some peas, as visible in the drawing.] One of my favorite treats as a kid was a Dorito sandwich (always fond of the sandwich?), which was white bread, slathered with cream cheese, with a crunchy layer of nacho Doritos inside...mmm...mmm. Cue the slideshoe of me a chunky child, thanks.

Tonight I'll be making a stromboli. Mostly because after yesterday's 4 hour black-out nap after the St. Patty's parade, we woke up absolutely.freaking.starving. and that's all I could think of. So tonight, it's a rolled up log of cheese and veggies and meat. Perhaps I'll take a picture and send it to my mom...for old time's sake.